James 2:2 KJV
[2] “For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;”
James begins an illustration in this verse about two men who visit the assembly. He gives a vivid description of both of these men. As we can see, they are very different in appearance. They are not wearing the same kind of apparel, nor do they have the same status in society. Both of these visitors likely sit in the assemblies of our churches today.
I want us to consider these two visitors, but I want us to think about their souls rather than their outward appearance. Why did they come to church? How do they stand with God? It is more important to be concerned with how they stand with God than how they stand with men.
We cannot assume that one is saved because he is rich, nor that the other is lost because he is poor. The man with a gold ring and goodly apparel could be wretched and poor spiritually on the inside. The poor man with vile raiment could be clothed with humility, robed in the righteousness of Christ, and suited up with the whole armor of God. It is impossible to know the condition of these men merely by how we see them.
I think the lesson here is to focus on the soul of every visitor. Everyone who walks through the doors of your church has a soul. Everyone who attends has a spiritual need. Everyone who attends needs to be preached to and prayed for as if this were their last service. James will deal with partiality in the following verses, but before we get to that point, I want us to think about the great danger of stereotyping people based on what we see. I also want us to consider the great opportunity that can be missed by what we don’t see. The next time you are at church and a visitor walks in, see them as God sees them, a soul seeking something from the Father, and a soul that is in spiritual need.